On Any Sunday Night*

The Superhero Ballerina Princess is playing soccer when she hears a call for help! Someone needs rescuing!













"It's my cousin Batman! I have to save him!"

*As narrated by Gwen herself

Three!: The Birthday Party

My little party-planner-in-training came into her own this year. She was very excited about her party, from her theme (Princesses, naturally, and we picked her dress out weeks in advance.) She loves the dollar store, and picked out her plates and decorations and the all-important party hats. And her own tiara. We are big on tiaras in our house.

We needed chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles for our guests. I made the cupcakes, but Gwen was all about the sprinkles. Pink and purple sparkle sugar, and pink sugar balls that crunched in everyone's teeth. She even let Adessa help, which meant that the sprinkle distribution was ... a little uneven, shall we say? But the cupcakes were still pretty.

The kids had a great time playing around and wearing their hats. No, really, Ryan's having a blast.

And Elvi got to play with Baby Eliana. You know she was happy.

Then we sang the song (see the end of the last post) and ate the cupcakes and then, oh yeah, there were presents. Lots and lots of presents. (I should be writing thank-you notes right now, actually.)
And then the party was over, pretty much. Until this happened:

This is the new princess dress that the Brauns gave her for Christmas, complete with matching gown for our cross-dressing lion. He's a very good sport, you know.

And then this happened:

Those are the lacing beads from Adessa. Rutherford is helping.

And this:

Which pretty much summed up how Gwen felt about the whole day.

Where We Dance Around

JIM HAS A JOB!

The news went out on Facebook and email and teary telephone calls, but I need to write about it here, too. It's a fantastic job for him. He's working in wireless, dealing with radio frequency waves. (My husband is a geek who lurves himself some frequency waves. I've spent hours watching him spin things to show me the wave patterns. I really, really love him. Just saying.) He's out of computer security, he's making good money, and he gave them a really solid sales lead on his second day.

He's going to kick ass at this job.

And we're going to be ok, after all. I mean, I knew we would be. But I was getting very worried that it wouldn't be in this house, maybe not in this county. And I love it here.

This happened too:

And this too:

More on those later.

If you're reading this - well, thank you. It's been an incredibly difficult year, one in which we've relied on all of you more than you will ever know. It is your love and support that has pulled us through.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my Uncle Rick's house. He has a beautiful property in the Gold Country, and the weather was fantastic. We sat out on the deck, looking at the pine trees,the autumn leaves, the horses in the pasture, fending off Aussie shepherds, laughing, talking politics (politely, even!) and watching Gwennie chase her Papa around. Uncle Rick said, "Well, gosh, she's just a regular kid, but she's awfully darn cute, isn't she?"

Then we ate fabulous food, and drove home. We had been planning to stay longer, but all three of us had been sick, and Jim felt like we should come home. Gwen cried about missing her Great Grandma (that'll wrench a mama's heart) but I was so grateful when we finally got home and I crawled into my own bed. It was great to show my daughter and my belly off (I was too sick to travel at all with Gwen, so this was new) but I am home for the duration now.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I think these two say a lot:

Where We Stand

So I haven't written much about our situation, because really, what do you say? Living in the Land of Economic Downturns is stressful and it sucks, and the best thing we've figured out to do is just soldier on. And so far, that's worked. We are raising a beautiful, happy, compassionate little girl, and growing a second one, and concentrating on the joy that they bring.

But the last few weeks have been hard. We've all been sick, particularly Jim and I, which makes always makes things more difficult. But Jim's been working towards a job that would be perfect for him, and that he'd be perfect for. It would even lets him use his physics background to a greater extent than he ever has before. The hiring process started in early October and was going great guns, everybody loved him, he was champing at the bit, and then things. just. ground. to. a. halt. while the VP reconsidered the position and his organization.

From the VP's perspective, I'm sure it looks as if he's doing the right thing, being responsible to his company, all that. From ours, it's as if he threw a giant brick wall in the middle of our freeway lane, and we keep crashing right into it. It's hard to see around it, hard to know where we go from here. Because it's the holidays again, and we've no other prospects, nothing new is going to break open before the New Year, and there's a baby waiting to be born.

But here's the ray of sunshine. The recruiter called Jim yesterday, and the VP wants to meet with Jim on Monday, to discuss salary histories among other things. So maybe, just maybe, things are going to start moving again. And I'm asking anyone who can to throw some energy behind that idea, because we need need need this job.

In the meantime, Gwen has rediscovered her gorilla puppet, who has morphed into Baby G'illa, and she brings him to her daddy several times a day, asking him to put his hand inside her baby "so he can play with his mama." He was more than a little disturbed when that play involved nursing her ape-baby. This morning was a little easier, because she just wanted Baby G'illa to brush his mama's hair.

There will be a Thanksgiving post soon, but here are a couple of shots to tide you over.

Gwennie and Adessa (her Dora-friend. Dunno what that is, exactly, but Adessa is it) at the pumpkin patch.

Up Up and Away!

November so Far

We went up to Scot and Kathleen's cabin (which is really a very nice house, but still - vacation home in the woods=cabin to me) to hang out with Uncle Ed last weekend. It was a long drive with plenty of traffic, but once we got there, it was nothing but relaxation.
Gwennie played with blocks.....

Scot and Uncle Ed played cribbage. I wanted in on that action, but the timing was never quite right. Which was fine. I'm over on the couch, hanging out with my belly-baby kicking the bejeebers out of me.
(Can I just say once more how much easier this pregnancy is than the last one? I was completely done traveling by this point with Gwen. Trips to the mall were too much for me to take. This time, I'm planning on Thanksgiving in Sacramento. And boy, I hope I haven't jinxed it.)
We didn't do anything huge or too exciting, but it was really great to see my uncle. I don't think I've gone this long without a trip to see the Rabago clan since I was travelling in 1990. I miss everyone. So just hanging out, checking out movie trailers on the Internet and playing cards was a real treat. One of my favorite things about the trip?

This. It isn't as if Gwen doesn't know Uncle Ed (he's been there from the day one, after all) but 11 months is a long time when you're not quite three. But she wasn't shy with him at all. He's "my uncle, and mama's uncle. He's my family!" and that's all she needed to know. She walked right up to him with her favorite Max and Ruby book (the beauty kit one, no less) and demanded he read it to her. Priceless look on his face for that!








She's a snugglebug, that girl.












Gwen loves to visit her Auntie Kathleen and Uncle Scot, because they're so silly.

The hardest part of the whole weekend for the girl was the trip home. There were lots of tears, and lots of requests to stop by the beach on the way. Clearly, we need some work in the geography department.







Luckily, the next day'snature class was at Natural Bridges. We took a hike, did our project, and visited the monarch butterflies. After the class, Gwen and I headed to the beach. The weather's been getting cooler, so I was careful to dress her warmly for the hike. Didn't do such a good job remembering clothes for the beach. And since she is newly enamored of the ocean itself, we stripped her down. We had a great time. It was sunny and beautiful, and somehow the ocean doesn't seem so chilly when the air's a bit cooler.

She's so pretty, my girl.















Other favorite Gwennie tricks, besides the "yes, she dooz!" phrase that pops up frequently:

-kissing, splodging and generally loving on her sister in my belly. She can't wait to meet her, and I can't wait to see the two of them together.

-Calling her Daddy her prince. Today, specifically, he is her Mermaid Prince, because she is Ariel. I am not allowed to call him anything else, and she corrects herself if she forgets.

-The Mermaid Prince just walked by, wondering which pajamas to put on her. She chased him down, yelling, I want to make my choice! Th'at's my opinionated little person.

-She's still shunning her bed in favor of a "nesty" on the floor - a king sized quilt that she wraps around herself.

-Baby Jaguar has become Baby Lion's big sister.


Ok, so go back and look at the pictures so far. Because the latest thing we did in November so far? Just this morning, in fact?



We got my baby her first real, more-than-bangs, haircut. Doesn't she look grown up? (And yes, I saved a ringlet.)

Autumn Catchup

...or, All the Cool Things We Did Whilst* Computer Challenged

We have been very seasonal this year, even as the weather has stayed very hot. (Ok, not today, and maybe not overall, but I am pregnant and a heat factory, and I want some days in the 60s, dangitall.) It's funny - summer's always been my favorite time of year, with the sun and fun and all the fruit, but as I get older, autumn's coming on a strong second.

In late September, it was a gazillion degrees out, and we went to a farm in Boulder Creek. Hey, Gwen! The bunnies are inside the cage!

We fed the goats (that's Adessa, because I got a decent picture of her) and picked Indian corn. That was Gwen's favorite part, I think, although she didn't understand why she couldn't eat it. Still tries to, some days.

Then we took a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, which was Mama's favorite part, especially when we were sitting in the shade. You could either take an ear of corn or a pumpkin home, and a friend had given us some pumpkins already. So we just took a wander through the patch.

That weekend, we picked apples, again in the broiling sun. I had visions of getting all Laura Ingallsy and making applesauce (well, actually, both Mom and Papa made applesauce on a regular basis, so I didn't have to go back quite that far.) But the apple sauce apples were waaaay down a hill and did I mention the heat? So we stuck to the Red and Golden Delicious apples, which are not my favorites.

But man, Gwen loved picking them. I love this picture, scraggly hair and all.

Jim swears he's going to create a montage of all the shots of Gwen running away to show at her wedding.

Then we went over to the farm part, where Gwen played in the hay and we ate apple pie. On the way back, we stopped at the beach, and Gwen went into the water (willingly) for the first time. We had a blast and I almost lost a shoe and we all got splashed up to our knees. Gwen hasn't stopped asking to go back to the beach since.

I have a whole pumpkin post - the trip to the patch, and the carving - but that's for another day.

*I love that word.

Halloween!

The most common view of Gwendolyn- whoops, I mean Ariel- on Halloween night.

















Seconds before the camera actually took this shot, my child was the most ethereal, beautiful mermaid you've ever seen.

















We met up with Ryan and James at the Clark's house to go trick or treating. Ryan had a tiger costume, and James was a bat with big eyebrows. It was a little hard to see his costume, until we asked him to show us his wings. Then he was absolutely adorable. This was our second house, and you can see Ryan was a little confused. But really, how many other times do you ring the doorbell and not go in?



There was this one, too, with a shot of the belly:


After we trick or treated all around a very long block, during which I managed to trip my daughter twice by stepping on her tail, we headed up to the Senkos' party. Gwen, I mean Ariel, threatened to fall asleep on the way there, but showed her true party colors once we arrived. MacKayla the princess was there, too.


Huh, the thumbnail of this shot looked so cute. Now it looks kind of... evil. I'm pretty sure no princesses were hurt during this photo.











And then they danced.













In the end, Gwen had to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the party, because both of her parents were exhausted. Gwen would've partied on, because if you ask her if she likes a party, she'd say, "Yes, Ariel dooz. Happy Halloween!"

Grandy and Gramps and the Train

My mom and Phil came up for the weekend. Gwennie's greeting? "Oh, Grandy. I missed you so much!" It was very sweet, and unfortunately, very quietly said from the back door, before her grandmother had even gotten out of the car. But there were lots of hugs and kisses to go around.

Gwen got Mom right to work in our garden.

Do you think these two like each other?

How about these two? That lion has many tales to tell.

We spent Friday on our regular Henry Cowell hike, and then I rushed off to the OB. Mom and Phil were going to take Gwen to ride her new trike in the park. (Riding the trike on our hill is not a good idea. In fact, a very very very bad idea.) However, Gwen chose that day to take one of her marathon naps. It's a good thing Grandy thinks she's cute when she's asleep.

The next day, Uncle Scot and Auntie Kathleen came over - that's always exciting in and of itself. Do you think these two like each other?

Two of the biggest goofballs I know.

We went to Roaring Camp and rode the train. Gwen was very excited, and promptly declared that Thomas himself was pulling the train. The rest of the family really enjoyed the scenery, but Gwen was a bit "Yeah, trees, big trees, seen them before." My kid has no idea that she's growing up in a tourist destination. ( see "regular hike in Henry Cowell.") She thinks everyone gets to look out their kitchen window and watch the deer, or chase raccoons off their deck. (That last one - she called her daddy in one night because the raccoons were too loud. There were four of them hanging in her wading pool underneath her window, the hoodlums.) Or stands out in their driveway at dusk to watch the bats swoop around.

Anyway... Mom and Gwen and I scooted around the farmers market and Safeway getting together a picnic lunch (and scoring an ollallie berry turnover, yum) which we ended up leaving in the garage as we drove away. But the train ride itself was loads of fun, and here are the pictures to prove it.

It was a wonderful visit, even if it was way too short. I wish San Diego weren't so far away.

Here's one last Gwendolyn shot, because my child, she is the adorable.

Glamor Girl

2009. The Summer of the Princess (or Ballerina) Dress.

Gwen got a bunch of beautiful hand-me-down dresses from Rachel and Karin, and she lived in them this summer. Getting her to put on a pair of shorts was a major undertaking. Over the months, it took me a bit to realize that I should take some pictures of her in them.

This one is her favorite.

The accessories are important, too - check out those shoes! And that scarf!

It's a Girl!

Update: No ultrasound pictures, but here's one of me and my girls.

The amnio results are in, and we have a healthy baby girl swimming around inside me. Her name is Julia Robin. Julia because we like the name, although we'll probably call her Julie. Robin for my grandfather Robert, who would've loved my little girls so much. He was so important in my life. When I told Grandma, she told me that Robin was her pet name for Papa when they first married, the way I call Jim Jamie. I hadn't known that, but it makes the name even more special.

I have another ultrasound next Wednesday - maybe I'll post one of those blurry shots. In the meantime, Julie's really started to move around. I've felt her for a while now, but mostly when I've been lying down still. Now she kicks me at odd moments throughout the day. This is the fun part, when I can really tell she's in there, and Hello! I'm not sick anymore! (I really really hope I haven't jinxed that.)

And one of Gwennie, who decided her baby had better ride in her belly, too.

What happened to August?

Another portrait of our budding artist

Yeah, see, I promised to update more often, and then I fell off the planet again. The thing is, we're slightly computer challenged at the moment (both our laptops died within a month) and photo/blog management has been an issue.

Other than that, August was a great month for us. Jim's back at work, and it looks like it may very well turn into something long-term. It's something indefinitely long-term right now, but still in "for the time being category." His employment coincided with my second trimester, which means that I am far more of a human being than just a big bundle of pregnancy symptoms. I actually feel pretty good most of the time, particularly in the past few weeks. And Gwen - well, Gwen's a happy little kid, bar the occasional meltdown and the fact that she hates to sleep.

Oh, and we're having a girl! The amnio (which was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be) came back, and we have another healthy little daughter. Jim and I are both thrilled, and we're just about set on a name. I'm going to post a belly picture soon. (Ok, so I'm little bummed around the edges not to be having a boy, because, you know, one of each and everything. But you know what? I would have been bummed around the edges not to be having another girl, because you know, look at the one we've got! This is why I didn't find out the last time. I like the possibilites. But knowing is fun, too.)

We've been spending a lot of time at
this little river beach this summer. (Well, it's called a river, but half the time I call it a creek, which Gwennie says this way "keeek") (I was packing-challenged this particular day, which is the only day I actually took pictures.) It's a great little spot for a picnic and wading. There are little tiny fishies to watch if you feel like sitting quietly to watch them, but mostly Gwen splashes around and digs. We were there as a family this day, but mostly we go with friends, and the mamas sit in the shade while the kids entertain themselves. Lots of butterflies and dragonflies and the occasional duck or helicopter. It's in the same park as out wedding, and they use the grass area for med-evacs and trainings and stuff.

This is Gwen posing for an early morning photo opp, one of the first times she's actually asked me to take her picture.

Me and my girl, in one of her favorite princess dresses.

Not necessarily the cutest picture ever, but this is Gwen in her favorite mermaid bathing suit. Her Auntie Kathleen gave it to her. Mermaids are very big in our house this summer. We were swimmin with Keidi and Adessa and Eliana and her family this day. Here are the little BFFs
afterwards.

It was so hot that weekend that we had to get out of the house on Saturday night. We went out to dinner, and then we drove down to the beach at sunset, where it was much cooler. Gwen thought that was magic. It was a perfect night for bonfires, and the beach was studded with them. The waves were beautiful in the moonlight, and the sand was nice and cool under out feet. Gwennie wandered all over, finding sea gull feathers and other treasures. It was a wonderful adventure, and we thought for sure it would wear our little night owl out. It was full dark when we left, and we figured that if we took the long way home, Gwen would fall asleep in the air conditioning and we could slide her into bed. Great idea, and would have worked, too, except Gwen had other ideas. The whole way home, she was singing at the top of her lungs."Wake up, sun! Wake up! Go to sleep, moon! Wake up, sun!"

She is nothing if not determined.

Last photo - the one that Jim calls "I'd rather fight than switch to Huggies."

Gwen had a literal run-in with a boy at the mall playground the other day, neither one of them looking where they were going, humongous bonk, mucho tears. His big ol' bean collided with Gwennie's cheek at just the right spot, and we've been watching the evolution of a shiner ever since. It's a nice yellowy green now.

And now the girl is yelling, Mama! Come down here! Play blocks with me! so I gotta go.